Thankful
by Kaffy
Summary: Richard an Caroline have gotten together, but have to spend Thanksgiving apart, or do they?


All lyrics belong to the band Barenaked Ladies.   
Thankful  
by Kaffy  
"I wonder what she's doing . . . " Richard thought. He looked at his TV dinner then back at the picture of Caroline. He missed her, even though she had been gone only 2 days. "Face it, Caroline isn't going to come back, at least not for 2 more days. She's in Wisconsin." He looked at her picture again then went about eating his Kraft dinner.   
  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
"I wonder what he's doing . . . " Caroline thought. She looked at all of the faces around the table. They were all there, her entire family. But it still didn't feel right, not without Richard. "He told you he wouldn't come. You should be prepared for this. I still wish he was here." Caroline's normally chipper demeanor melted as her shoulders fell and the tips of her mouth sunk into a frown.  
  
"Caroline, what's wrong, dear?"  
  
"Nothing, mom." She didn't want the fact that Richard hadn't come to offend her mother. "I'm just tired."  
  
"Why don't you take a nap after dinner is over?"  
  
"I think I might." She thought to herself, "It'll give me some time to be alone with my thoughts."   
  
Richard stood outside the door. He slowly pulled out his key and opened the door. The place was immaculate. "Yeah, like she wouldn't have everything perfect before she left." He hung up his coat and set his keys on the table. He sat down on the couch and rubbed his eyes. He'd feed Salty later. He just wanted to take a nap. He had been painting all night. As he was just about to be engulfed by sleep, the phone rang. "Just let it ring, it's not going to be for you he thought to himself."  
  
After Caroline's predictably enthusiastic message was over and the beep had sounded, her voice filled the room again, "It's Caroline, just reminding my self to get those strips to Del by Monday." Richard vaulted the chair and grabbed the phone.  
  
"Caroline...?"  
  
"Richard? What are you doing in my apartment?"  
  
"I was just feeding Salty. How's it going in the middle of nowhere?"  
  
"It's OK. I heard this new group on the radio. We get a few Canadian stations here. I didn't think I would ever like a group called Barenaked Ladies but they're actually really good."  
  
"Barenaked Ladies? Come on Caroline, it sounds like a bad porno."  
  
"I know, but they are honestly a good band. I bought a couple of their CD's so you can hear them when I come back."  
  
"Great."  
  
"Well, happy Thanksgiving. I miss you."  
  
"I miss you, too. See you when you get back." He hung up the phone and looked at the picture on her refrigerator. It was of him and Caroline at that stupid pizza place that she had dragged him to. The only reason he hadn't left was her. She was having so much fun. "I can't stand this. The only way I'll ever sleep is if she's next to me." Richard grabbed his coat as he ran out of the apartment.  
  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
Caroline was fast asleep in her old bed. There was a knock at the door. "Caroline, Caroline dear, there's somebody here to see you."  
  
Caroline came downstairs in her flannel pants and plain white T-shirt and saw Richard sitting on the couch with her father and her uncle. They were asking him all kinds of questions. "So you live in New York? Have you ever met that Rosie O'Donnell? She seems like such a nice person."  
  
"No, she doesn't really come to my part of town." Caroline smiled. It was funny to see Richard harassed by her family. She knew that he was annoyed by them by now.  
  
Richard noticed Caroline on the stairs and got up to greet her, completely ignoring her relatives. He walked up half of the steps while she came down the other half and the met with a simple hug. "What are you doing here?" she whispered. "After talking to you, I knew I had to come out here. I missed you so much."  
  
"I'm glad you came. I missed you too. Well, you've caused quite a stir. You have to meet my family now." Caroline introduced Richard to all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins. Afterward, they went up to Caroline's room. As soon as he walked in the door, Richard laughed. It was exactly how he pictured her room would be. There were posters all over the walls along with pennants and pictures. "What? Why are you laughing?" she asked as she gave him a playful shove.  
  
"It's just exactly as a pictured it." He flopped down on the bed and sighed. She collapsed right next to him.  
  
"I'm glad you came."  
  
"Me too. Your family wasn't nearly as bad as I thought they were going to be."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"No, I was just trying to be polite." She whacked him upside his head and laughed. "Ow, that hurt." He grabbed her waist and they started to wrestle playfully. Laughing and giggling, Caroline lightly slapped his stomach. He grabbed her arms in an attempt to stop the silly situation they were in. She struggled against him until their eyes met. Richard slowly bent down and lightly brushed his lips against hers. "God, I missed you so much." Caroline reaches up to kiss him again when the door flies open.  
  
"Caroline, dear, it's time for dessert . . . oh, sorry to interrupt."  
  
"It's OK mom, we'll be right down." Mrs. Duffy shut the door and left Caroline and Richard alone. "Well, if that didn't ruin the moment, I don't now what would."  
  
"The same scene only substitute my mother for your mother . . . "  
  
"Yeah, that might do the trick. Come on, we should get down there before they send a search party." Caroline peels Richard off of the bed and drags him down the stairs to the dining room. The family was quietly talking amongst themselves when Richard and Caroline sat down.  
  
"Do you usually have this many desserts at a Duffy dinner?" Richard asked as he look over the table covered with pies and cakes of every color.  
  
"Only on Thanksgiving." They ate and talked for a little while. Richard noticed that Caroline's mother was eyeing him up and down, then smiling to herself. Caroline laughed to herself as Richard made small talk, knowing how much he hated trivial conversation. After dessert was over, Richard and Caroline decided to go for a walk. They grabbed their coats and left.  
  
After they were a fair distance away from the house, Richard put his arm around her. "I'm glad I came up here."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Of course, your mom's pie is better than macaroni and cheese any day." He looked down to see the same exasperated expression on Caroline's face that he saw every time he said something sarcastic. "So, you've become a fan buck naked women?"  
  
"Barenaked Ladies. At least listen to them before you make any judgments."  
  
"OK, OK, OK . . . what's so great about them anyway?"  
  
"It's hard to explain. Their songs are serious but humorous at the same time. They just seem like average guys talking about their feelings. They're just...I don't know." They are so engrossed in conversation that they don't even notice that they are back at the house again. "Come on inside and you can judge for yourself."  
  
Again, Caroline grabbed Richard by the hand and dragged him up the stairs to her room. As Caroline put the CD in the stereo, Richard plopped down on the bed, exhausted. It had been a long day.  
  
"This one is called 'You will be waiting.'" Caroline dropped down onto the bed right next to Richard on the bed. Both closed their eyes as the music enveloped the room. "As we walk together through the autumn nearing winter, through the dying leaves and trees we call our home and native land..."  
  
"Caroline, . . . ?"  
  
"Shh, listen." The words filled the room, "But I know, that you will be waiting, Oh I know that you will be waiting, Oh I know that you will be waiting, waiting there for me."  
  
"Caroline, I love you." Caroline looked over at Richard. She reached over and took his glasses off and kissed him. Soft, sweet, like he was as fragile as newborn baby.  
  
"I love you, too." He leaned and kissed her, slow and soft at first but it grew in intensity until all of the sudden the door swung open.  
  
"Caroline, turn that music down!" Mr. Duffy walked in yelling until he saw his daughter. "Oh, sorry to interrupt, but your Aunt Gerdie is leaving and your brother is trying to take a nap."  
  
"Sorry, Dad."  
  
"Why don't the two of you come downstairs and say goodbye?"  
  
"We'll be right down." Richard sighed as Mr. Duffy closed the door. "I promise, we can be alone in just a little while. I just never see my family and I'm only home for one weekend a year."  
  
"Don't worry. I understand. I just, well, I kind of like the music."  
  
"We can listen to it when we get home, but we have to mingle right now." She kissed him lightly and they returned to the living room to see Caroline's family off. When all of her relatives had left and all that remained were Caroline's parents and brother, Caroline and Richard returned to her bedroom where they once again, collapsed on her bed.  
  
"I am so tired." commented Richard. "I feel like I could sleep for days."  
  
"Long trip?"  
  
"Yeah, you could say that."  
  
"So how did you get out here? All of the flights were booked."  
  
"Not in the cargo deck."  
  
"No way."  
  
"Needless to say, it was exhausting." He looked into her eyes, "but it was worth it..."  
  
"Shh, you don't have to say that."  
  
"I want to. It was so ironic to not have you with me on Thanksgiving, you're my reason to be thankful. I love you."  
  
"I love you, too." She reaches over and kisses him gently and dropped her head to his shoulder. "I'll put another CD in." The words of "Brian Wilson" filled the room. Caroline fell onto the bed next to Richard. "I'm lying in bed, just like Brian Wilson did..."  
  
"Brian Wilson? Wasn't he one of the Beach Boys?" No answer.  
  
"Caroline?" Still no answer. He looked over to see her fast asleep.  
  
'God she's beautiful' he thought to himself. He kissed her forehead and quietly got up from the bed. He tiptoed to the door and quietly closed it behind him. He walked down the stairs and was greeted by her mother.  
  
"Richard, dear, are you leaving?"  
  
"Yeah, she fell asleep. I'm just going to check in at my hotel."  
  
"You really love her, don't you?"  
  
"Yes. I really love her. Could you tell her I'll call her later?"  
  
"Of course." He closed the door behind him and looked at his watch. 10:45. He got into his rental car and drove to his hotel for a good night's sleep.  
  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
Caroline awoke with a start. "Where's Richard? Was this all a dream? Mom!"  
  
Mrs. Duffy ran into Caroline's room. "What is it dear?"  
  
"Where's Richard?"  
  
"Calm down, calm down. He left after you fell asleep. He's at his hotel and told me to tell you that he'll call you later."  
  
"Then, it wasn't a dream."  
  
"No. It was real. He really flew out here at the last minute to spend Thanksgiving with you."  
  
"Thank God. I thought I was dreaming." Just then the phone rang. "Hello?"  
  
"Caroline? It's me."  
  
"Hi, Richard." Mrs. Duffy gave her some privacy. "I'm sorry I fell asleep."  
  
"It's OK. I would have stayed but I didn't want your parents to get the wrong idea."  
  
"What time does your flight leave?"  
  
"Well, it turns out that there was an opening on the same flight that you're on. So I leave tomorrow at noon."  
  
"Listen, I have an idea. What if when we get back, we take a couple of days off and you move into my apartment?"  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Just listen to my reasoning. It seems like we're always there anyway. I'd feel better knowing that someone would be with you on the way to work and that you wouldn't be riding the subway alone."  
  
"Caroline, come on. Do you think you're ready for this?"  
  
"Richard, after falling asleep with you right there next to me, I don't think I'll ever be able to fall asleep without you there again."  
  
"OK, we can give it a try."  
  
The next day, the two returned to New York and two days later, Richard had all of his things moved into her loft. Late one night, Richard looked down at the woman asleep in his arms. "God help me if I ever lose you." He kissed the top of her head and fell asleep.  
  



End file.
